Sonia Fowler's Divorce
by JKerry
Summary: Sonia and Martin work things out with their divorce. Will they both get what they want? How will daughter Rebecca feel about it?
1. Chapter 1

EastEnders: Sonia Fowler Divorce

Sonja met her soon to be ex husband Martin at the Beale's café that afternoon. She was nervous, but didn't know why. After all, she knew Martin like the back of her hand, and he knew her like the back of his hand. She waited for him at a table by the window, and ordered two cups of tea from Jane. "You all right, love?" Jane asked Sonia when she ordered the teas.

Sonia nodded. "I'm okay, just a little nervous, I guess," she said with a small smile. "Meeting someone?" Jane asked as she got the teas together. Sonia paused. "Yeah," she said finally. "Martin. It's just a talk to see how things are going with him, and how long it will be before we get a divorce," she told Jane. Jane smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry I never got a chance to tell you this until now but I'm sorry it didn't work out between you two. Are you going to be okay with Rebecca? How's she coping?" Jane asked as she absent-mindedly pressed buttons on the till.

Sonia smiled again. "We'll be fine. Thanks," she said, and took the teas after giving Jane a friendly smile. "My love to Rebecca," Jane called as Sonia walked over to her seat. She sat down and waited.

Ten minutes later, the door opened, and she sighed with relief when she saw Martin enter the café. "Martin," she began, standing up. He walked hurriedly towards her, catching his breath. It looked as though he had been running. "Are you okay?" Sonia asked. He nodded and sat down with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry I'm late," he said, "but work wouldn't let me go until I finished a job," he told her.

Sonia nodded understandingly and gave him his cup of tea. "Thanks," he said, taking it gratefully from her. "How's work?" Sonia asked. Martin nodded as he sipped his tea. "All right. Shifts here and there. Enough to keep me going," he said vaguely, with a shrug. Sonia nodded again, not knowing what to say all of a sudden. She'd never talked to Martin about what they would do if they got a divorce before, now she was wondering what to say.

Thankfully for Sonia, Martin saw the worried and nervous look on his face and smiled sadly. "It's okay, Son," he said. "I know you want to talk more about the divorce." She nodded appreciatively and sighed before drinking her tea. "I'd never thought I'd end up being a single mum," she began. Martin nodded as he listened to her. "I mean, when we married, I thought we were going to be together, forever, you, me and Rebecca. One big happy family," she said wistfully. Martin nodded. "Your fairy tale ending," he said. She nodded back. "Yeah. Now look at us. Weird," she said, and Martin smiled tightly. "Yeah. But maybe it's for the best as you said," he reminded her gently.

Sonia nodded and smiled sadly at him. "So," she began, as she sipped her tea. "How do we get started with the divorce?" she asked him. Martin put his mobile phone on the table. "Well," he began, "You have to wait for a year before we can get a divorce," he said. Sonia sighed. "That long?" she asked. Martin nodded. "I've just got off the phone to my solicitor this morning," he told her, "and I've scheduled a meeting for us next Friday morning. Will you be able to make it? The meeting will explain everything about how divorce works," Martin told her.

Sonia thought this over. She could someone to cover for her. She nodded. "OK, next Friday is fine," she said. Martin smiled and finished off his tea. "Great. I'll text you the details," he said, before standing up. "I gotta go now. Thanks for the tea. Take care, all right?" he asked Sonia. Sonia nodded and smiled tightly back. "You too," she said, and they shared a glance before Martin turned and walked out of the café, leaving Sonia alone with her half finished cup of tea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sonia grinned to herself as she left Tina's that evening. Her relationship with Tina was going great, they had been friends first which developed into something more. She hummed to herself as she walked home. Once she was at home, Sonia let herself in and closed the door behind her. She found her mum, Carol, sitting on the couch in the living room, watching a DVD. She looked up and smiled at Sonia as she entered the room. "Hi, Mum," she said, and they greeted each other with a hug. "Hi, Son," Carol replied, and patted the seat next to her. "Come and sit," she said. Sonia did so, and was surprised when Carol pulled her into a hug.**

**"Hey, what's this for?" Sonia asked, surprised but pleased. She knew her family were going through a difficult time right now, as they had to prepare for their grandfather's funeral. So it was nice to have a nice warm hug from her mother. As they ended the hug, Carol smiled sadly at her. "I don't know, maybe it's your grandfather's funeral. Made me think, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Life's too short, like you said yesterday when you showed me your tattoo. How did you get so wise, Son?" She asked with a smile.**

**Sonia smiled back. "I don't know. I think I get it from you," she said. Carol shook her head good naturedly. "I don't think so. You're a good daughter. How's it going with Tina?" She asked. Sonia smiled. "It's going really well, thank you, mum. We love each other - I think we're in it for the long term," she said, her eyes sparkling excitedly. Carol smiled back at her, pleased that her daughter was so happy. She certainly deserved it after the rough time she had with Martin, and now finding out that Martin lost their house, Sonia needed all the love she could get. "Well, just remember Son, make the most of what you have, don't throw it all away over something silly," she advised her daughter.**

**Sonia raised an eyebrow. "Relationship advice from my mum? Is this the same person who kissed Billy?" She asked cautiously. Carol looked away from her as she heard that name. "To be honest, Son, I don't think there's anything going on between me and Billy. That was just a one time thing," she said. "Oh really?" Sonia asked. Just then her mobile beeped. It was a text from Rebecca, telling her she's staying at her friend's Star's place and would be back tomorrow morning.**

**"Whose that?" Carol asked. Sonia shrugged. "It's Rebecca. She' over at her mates again tonight," she told her mum. Now Carol raised an eyebrow. "Have you told her about you and Tina going serious yet?" She asked. Sonia shook her head. "No, we're going to try and tell her we're together tomorrow. We want to do it some place quiet, maybe here, at one point," Sonia said.**

**Carol nodded. "Sounds good. Anyway, what are you doing here on a Friday night? Why don't you go out to town with Teen, you know, treat her to something," Carol said. She pulled a twenty pound note from her purse and passed it to a surprised Sonia. "Twenty quid? Mum are you sure?" She asked. Carol winked at her. "Like I said, Son," she said. "Life's too short. Actually, that's what you told me wasn't it? Go on, treat Teen. I'll be fine here with my DVD," she told her.**

**Sonia smiled. "Are you sure? I can keep you company if you need me," she said. Carol shook her head no. "No, dear, it's fine. Go on and enjoy yourself. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, after giving her daughter a final hug. "Thanks, Mum," Sonia said. "I love you," she added, and left the house. She couldn't believe the improvement in her mum's attitude the past two days. Maybe some of Sonia's advice really did rub off on her mum. Whatever the reason, Sonia was happy to spend more time with Teen. So she bounded across the street and towards the Vic, intending to surprise Teen with the date. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

**Sonia giggled as she and Teen sat at the back of a taxi that Friday night. Thankfully, Teen hadn't eaten dinner yet, so she jumped at the chance to go to dinner with Sonia using her mother's money. Sonia grinned as she and Teen shared a joke. **

**Once they were in town, Sonia asked the taxi driver to pull up outside Wetherspoons'. It had been a long time since she had last been here. "Thanks, Son," Teen kept saying in her high giggly voice. Sonia grinned. "No problem," she said. "Anything for my Teen," she added, before they both hugged. After that the taxi stopped outside the Wetherspoon's pub, and Sonia and Teen both got out. Ten minutes later, they were sitting in the pub, with menus in their hands, ready to order their food. **

**"So, what are you having?" Sonia asked as she glanced through the menu, making a mental note to try the burger and chips. "Fish and chips," Teen declared with a grin. Sonia raised an eyebrow at her. "Fish and chips?" She asked. "That's well boring. You can get that at Ian's place back home. Why not go for something different?" She asked. Teen studied the menu again. "But I love my chips," she protested. "OK," Sonia said. "Why don't you try steak and chips?" She suggested. Teen looked at the menu again, and to Sonia's surprise, she nodded. "Yeah, okay, steak and chips then," she said, smiling at Sonia. "Cool. I'm going to have burger and chips. What drink do you want?" She asked.**

**"I'll have a glass of Rose wine please," Teen said with a grin. Sonia grinned back. "I'm getting a white wine. OK, I'll be right back," she said, before she left to order the food at the bar. She asked Teen to look after her bag while she left with her purse. As Teen was waiting for Sonia to come back, she heard Sonia's phone ring in her bag. **

**She looked over at Sonia, who didn't hear It. So Teen decided to take the phone out and see who was calling, in case it might be urgent. It was a call from Sonia's teenage daughter, Rebecca. Teen frowned at it, wondering what it meant. She hadn't spent any time with Rebecca, but she hoped to in the future with Sonia.**

**Just then, Sonia came back with the drinks, and Teen passed her phone to her as she sat down. "Hey, your mobile went," she told her as she thankfully took her glass of wine. Sonia glanced at the phone. "Ah, It's Rebecca. I'll just go to the ladies and answer this one quickly, okay? I'll be right back, Teen, I promise," she said. Teen nodded and watched as Sonia picked up her phone and made her way to the toilets. **

**Teen sighed. She wondered if Rebecca would be okay with her seeing her mum. She knew Rebecca didn't know about her and Sonia yet, but she wasn't sure if Rebecca knew her mum was a lesbian. That was something she knew she needed to talk to Sonia about over dinner, which is another reason why she had taken up Sonia's offer of coming to dinner with her tonight, so they could discuss what Sonia wants, and whether she's gay or straight. **

**She pondered over what to say to Sonia, when Sonia returned with a smile. "Hey. Thanks for waiting, Rebecca's just staying at a friend's and wanted to let me know she won't be back until morning," she said. Teen smiled. "That's cool," she said, before taking a deep breath. "Your daughter seems like a lovely person," she began. Sonia smiled. "Thanks, Teen, she is," she said. "She can be a handful at times, but my mum says that's what normal teenagers are like," she said. She then raised her glass. "To us and family," she announced, and Teen smiled back, also raising her glass. "To us and family," she replied, and they clinked their glasses. "May we live long and prosper," Sonia said with a grin. Teen grinned back as they sipped their wine. "So," Teen said. Now was a good time as any. "Yeah?" Sonia asked.**

**"Well, I thought we could you know, talk about us tonight," she said. "Oh yeah?" Sonia asked. "Yeah. Like, where we're going in life, how we feel about each other, how our families feel about us, that sort of thing," she said. Sonia thought for a moment. "You want to work out if I'm going to be a lesbian or not?" She asked. Teen looked a little shy. She didn't want to force Sonia to talk about anything if she didn't want to. Sonia saw the uncomfortable look on her friend's face and nodded understandingly.**

**"I'm not sure, Teen. But I do know that I love you," she told her. Teen looked at her seriously for a moment. "Is that not enough?" Sonia asked anxiously. Teen breathed a deep breath again. "I just want you to let people know whether you're into guys or girls, you know, clear the air a bit," she started.**

**Sonia thought for a moment, before their food came. They thank the waiter and started to eat. A very long silence came over them as they ate. **_**Oh no, **_**Teen thought in panic. **_**Have I put my foot in it? Did I say the wrong thing? **_**Sonia still stayed quiet and kept on eating. "Son?" She asked. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**"Son?" Teen asked anxiously when Sonia didn't reply for a few moments. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Teen asked, biting her lip. But to her relief, Sonia smiled at her. "No, you haven't said anything wrong, Teen," she said as she ate her meal. "I was just thinking of how best to tell everyone about us, you know?" She asked her. **

**This pleased Tina immensely. She laid a hand over her girlfriend's hand on the table. "You're amazing, you know that, don't you?" She asked. Sonia smiled again, and Tina grinned to see that she was blushing a little. "Not half as amazing as you," she replied, and the two gazed into each other's eyes before they carried on eating their meal. **

**Suddenly, Tina had a thought. "Hey," she said. "It's our birthdays coming up soon. How about we celebrate them together?" She asked excitedly. "That way we can show everyone that we're together," she said. Sonia beamed back at her. "That's a great idea, Teen. I'd love to celebrate my birthday with you," she said. **

**Tina smiled and raised her glass. "In that case, let's make a toast. To new friendships, and new beginnings," she said. Sonia raised her glass and clinked it against Tina's in response. "New beginnings," she repeated, and the two women laughed and giggled as they drank their wine. Sonia had never felt so happy as she did right then. She knew Tina was the girl for her. **

**It was late when they finished their meal, and Tina suggested that they carry on and go into the Albert for one more drink. Sonia had a little bit of cash left and agreed, so they both got into a taxi and made their way over to the bar. Once inside, they sat down at a table with their drinks and laughed as they danced a little to their favourite music.**

**"You know something, Teen?" Sonia asked her. "What?" Tina asked, shouting over the music. "I've never been this happy with anyone before," Sonia told her. Now it was Tina's turn to blush. "Really?" She asked, a little shyly.**

**Sonia grinned. "Yeah," she said. "I think I love you, Tina Carter," she told her. But, instead of getting the 'I love you back' response from Tina as she'd hoped, Tina froze and stopped moving to the music before going back to her seat, looking uncomfortable. "Teen?" Sonia asked, feeling worried now. Did she just say the wrong thing, too? She wondered.**

**She followed Tina to their table, like a little lamb lost. "Teen? What's wrong?" She asked. Tina smiled. "I'm, I'm flattered you think you love me. But I thought we are just having fun right now, aren't we?" She asked. This made Sonia blush in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said as she put her drink down. "I guess I'm drunk," she said. Tina nodded. "I know. It's not that I don't have feelings for you," she tried to explain. "It's just that, I don't think I'm ready to settle down... yet," she added.**

**Sonia nodded, feeling cross with herself for putting her foot in it. "I understand," she said, before getting up. "Hey, I'm sorry if I upset you," Tina said, as she too, stood up. "Where are you going?" She asked. Sonia couldn't look at her. "I think we should go home now," she said. "It's late." With a sigh, Tina nodded and followed Sonia out of the club. Now that the happy atmosphere had worn off, Sonia was beginning to get a headache and she also felt intoxicated as she called for a cab. All she wanted to do now was crawl into her bed and hide there so Tina won't find her. That was the plan, she thought, as she and Tina got into the cab, and shared an awkward silence all the way back to the Square. **

**"Well, thanks, for tonight," Tina said, trying to make Sonia feel better. Sonia was still feeling embarrassed, so all she could do was nod as Tina kissed her on the cheek when they stopped outside the Vic. "See you tomorrow?" Tina asked hesitantly. Sonia nodded again. "Yeah. See you tomorrow," she repeated, before they waved goodbye and Tina closed the car door behind her. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest as she watched the cab take Sonia home. **

**She would make it up to her tomorrow, and think about how she felt about her, she decided as she walked back into the Queen Vic, ready to go to bed. **


End file.
